Lantern.



PYATENTED SEPT. 17, 1907.

W. S. HAMM.

LANTERN.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 2. 1906.

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@gt m PATENTED SEPT. 17, 1907.

w. s. HAMM.

LANTERN.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 2. 1906.

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WILLIAM S. HAMM, OF LAKESIDE, ILLINOIS.

LANTERN.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 17, 1907,

Application filed January 2, 1906. Serial No. 294,275.

'lo all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM S. HAMM, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Lakeside, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lanterns, of which the following is a specification, and which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

This invention relates to a lantern adapted for the use of trainmen in making signals; and has for its object to provide such a device in which the font for containing the supply of oil is protected from the heat of the burner. In lanterns of this kind, as usually constructed, the burner comprises a wick-tube rising from the font and housed within a dome or cone having an open top and which, as heretofore constructed, has

been carried by the oil font, being either mounted directly thereon or upon the burner base, which in turn is screwed into the neck of the font, When the lantern is in use this cone becomes very hot and being of metal rapidly conducts heat to the font, so that the temperature of the oil contained therein, when the lantern has been'lighted for some time, is very materially raised. This is decidedly objectionable, for the grade of oil customarily employed in these lanterns is more volatile when warm, some of it, under the circumstances just described, being actually vaporized within thefont. Some of the vapor thus formed escapes through the wick-tube, causing the flame to flicker.

The invention contemplates a lantern having a receptacle for inclosing the oil font, and a plate or frame fitting over the receptacle and spaced apart from the top of the font. The spreader or cone for partially inclosing the wick-tube of the burner is then mounted upon this plate so that the heat collected by it is conducted by the material of the plate to the walls of the receptacle, where it is dissipated by radiation.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1. is a central vertical section of a detail of a railway trainmans lantern constructed according to the invention, some of the parts being shown in elevation; Fig. 2 is a plan View of the same, certain parts being omitted; Figs. 3 and 4 relate to details of construction; Figs. 5 and 6 are similar to Figs. 1 and 2, respectively, but illustrate a modification in the construction; and Fig. 7 is a sectional view on the line '77 of Fig. 5.

The invention is illustrated as applied to a kerosene lantern of the well known top-draft type, in which the air for combustion is admitted at the top of the globe. The lantern is provided with the usual frame 10, the font, which is customarily fixed in position within the frame, being replaced by a receptacle 11 over which fits a frame or plate 12, preferably attached to the body of the receptacle by a hinge 13, and which, in the device illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings,

the skeleton form shown in the drawings to permit free access of air to the tip of the wick inclosed by it.

A font 17 for containing the oil, and carrying a burner 18, is adapted to fit into the chamber of the receptacle 11. Preferably its dimensions are considerably less than those of the interior of the receptacle, in order to leave a liberal air space, as indicated at 19, 20, between the side Walls and cover of the receptacle, and the font. As shown the font is held in a central position within the chamber of the receptacle by means of a plurality of leaf springs 21 (Figs. 4 and 7), spaced about the interior of the chamber wall and frictionally engaging the sides of the font with sufficient force to prevent it from leaving its seat at the bottom of the receptacle.

The parts are so proportioned that when assembled the wick-tube 22 of the burner 18 occupies the usual position within the cone or spreader 14, and the stem 23 of the wick raiser is seated in a notch 24 (Fig. 3) in the wall of the receptacle 11, so that when, as shown in the drawings, a flat wick is employed the wick-tube 22 will always assume the correct alinement with the slotted aperture 25 at the apex of the cone. A lantern globe 26 of usual form is employed, and is preferably seated upon the upper surface of the cover plate 12. It is held to its seat by mechanism at the top of the lantern, which being of ordinary construction is not shown in the drawings, and when secured in place prevents the opening of the cover plate 12.

When the lantern is in use, air to support combustion is admitted at the top of the globe by any of the means ordinarily provided for this purpose, and finds its way to the tip of the wick and to the flame, in large part, through theperforated walls of the cone 14. The heat collected by the spreader is conducted by the cover plate 12 to the walls of the receptacle 11, where it will be rapidly dissipated; and as both the cover plate and the walls of the receptacle are separated from the walls of the oil font by commodious air spaces, 19, 20, this heat can have but little effect upon the temperature of the oil contained within the font and the lantern may be used continuously for as long a time as the supply of oil will permit, the condition of the flame remaining substantially uniform throughout.

The collection of foul vapor within the air spaces 19, 20, may be prevented by means of perforations 16 in the cover plate 12, and there is then believed to be a slight circulation of air passing down from the interior of the globe 26 through these perforations 16 to the air space 20 and returning to the globe through the burner cone or spreader 14.

If desired, the frame for supporting the burner cone may be ported to admit all of the air required for combustion, the cone being then without lateral apertures. This form of construction is shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the frame for supporting the burner cone being designated 27 and being so formed as to provide liberal openings 28 for the passage of air to the interspace 20 and the interior of the burner cone shown at 29. The cone in this case has imperforate side walls and is provided with a flange 30 at its base, by means of which it is attached to the frame 27 and which requires the air cur rents entering at the top of the lantern and passing downwardly to the interspace 20, to maintain a path well toward the circumference of the globe 26, as indicated by the arrows (Fig. 5), so that they do not inter fere with the burning of the flame.

Access may be had to the oil font by turning the cover plate 12 or 27 back on its hinge 13, after first re moving the globe 26 in the ordinary way.

I claim as my invention- 1. A lantern comprising, in combination, a chambered receptacle, a removable cover plate for the chamber of the receptacle having a centrally-disposed apertured cone, and an oil font fitting within the chamber and having a wicktube projecting into the cone of the cover plate, the plate and its appurtenances being out of contact with the oil font and its appurtenances.

2. A lantern comprising, in combination, a chambered receptacle, a cover plate for the chamber of the receptacle having a centrally-disposed apertured cone, and an oil font of less diameter and depth than the chamber of the receptacle resting within the chamber and having a wicktuhe projecting into the cone of the cover plate, the plate and its appurtenances being out of contact with the oil font and its appurtenances.

A top-draft lantern comprising, in combination, a chambered receptacle having imperforate side and bottom walls, a foraminous cover plate for the chamber of the receptacle having a centrally-disposed apcrtured cone, an oil font fitting within the chamber and being of less height than the depth of the chamber and having a wick-tube projecting into the cone of the cover plate, and a globe resting on the cover plate, the plate and its appurtenances being out of contact with the oil font and its appur tenances.

at. In a lantern, in combination, a body having a font seat, a plate covering the seat and having an apcrtured cone for receiving the burner tube of a font occupying the seat, the plate and its appurtenances being out of.contact with the oil font and its appurtenances.

5. A lantern comprising, in combination, a chambered receptacle, a cover plate hinged to the receptacle, and an oil font fitting within the chamber and having a wicletube projecting into the cone of the cover plate, the plate and its appurtenances being out of contact with the oil font and its appurtenances.

\VILLIAM S. HAMM.

Witnesses LOUIS V. Eoonn'r, FRED W. FomnnNoEn. 

